Definition: Family

Family is powerful. Powerful was the first word that came to mind, but the word power doesn’t come close to describing what a family truly embodies.

When you type “definition: family“ into Google, “A group consisting of parents and children living together in a household,” shows up. This is a crappy definition.

Thefreedictionary.com defines family as, “A fundamental social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children.”

Okay…starting to get warmer, but only because of the word: fundamental.

A New York Times article asked parenting bloggers like myself to define family, and one responded: “Someone that loves you and someone who is there for you no matter what.”

Now we’re a lot warmer.

How can one truly define Family? Family is a pretty loaded concept with sub-unexplainable concepts attached, like love for instance. Would you agree? Yes, the blanket definition for family could be people coexisting together in a household but that doesn’t necessarily embody a “family.” Even saying, “someone that loves you and is always there for you” doesn’t fully explain the concept. It touches on the fundamental part of family, sure, but explain?

Family is subjective. In my opinion, defining a family in part depends on the existential experience of the individual and who they feel their family is. Family isa concept people spend their entire lives trying to find, run away from, create, or expand. Sometimes families have nothing to do with biology, and other times families are bound and created by biology.

Families consist of people who love, support, challenge, and fight for you. Family stands by your side. Family members advocate, teach, grow, learn, and accept one another’s differences and similarities. And yet, somehow that doesn’t 100% sum it up 🙂

Special thanks today for all the people that love & support me. My family. I appreciate every one of you.